How often to give cereal?

[Lola]

My lo eats three meals a day with snacks now too. She LOVES her cereal, especially rice. Is it ok to give cereal for all three meals or should i do that for just one? It otherwise seems like a lot of veg/fruit etc for her meals. Going to start chicken this week..yum yum

[RachelC]

Lola,
I start lo's meals with the fruits and veggies.  Sometimes they need to be thickened with cereal.  If she is still hungry (usually the case) I will feed her extra helpings of cereal, at all three meals, if necessary.
HTH
~Rachel

[carmkaylasmom]

i was advised that i should only give cereal once a day even though she loves it. my health visitor said one meal cereal, one fruit and one veg. she is full after the veg as i add potatoe/rice to it.

[Sarahboh]

Good question! I was wondering that myself. I give Ella cereal with her fruits/veggies breakfast and dinner, lunch is just veggies. In Canada they say no meat before 8-9 months because the "studies" say they cannot digest it before then so it just goes right through them??? Don't know if I believe that or not. Anyways, I figure I will keep giving it breakfast and dinner until she starts meats, then I will just give it for breakfast? What are all you doing?

[Lola]

Im in Ontario and I've never heard that! I've given M chicken already. She loves it! I was giving cereal at brekkie and lunch. Brekkie was cereal/fruit (i figured i wouldnt want veg in the am) and lunch was (is?) cereal, veg and fruit for dessert. Three course meal LOL
I will cut out the cereal for lunch i think though and stick with a veg and fruit.
Is that reasonable?

[Sarahboh]

Lola, I am in Ontario too North York to be exact, and I went to this course with a Infant Nutritionist and she was the one who showed us the studies and her own info not to give meat before 9 months as they cannot digest it? I know on the jars and in all the baby books it says you can start at 6 months (I have tried with Ella before I saw the nutritionist). She says they simply cannot break down such complicated proteins before 8-9 months so no use to give it to them. I am going to try again with her as I have also heard to introduce as much as you can before 7-8 months as after that they cannot become pickier to introduce new things.

I think what you are doing is great, what a great eater she is! I like giving the cereal at night because I know it really fills her up for the night too ( I know how I feel after I eat a bowl of oatmeal:) She doesn't wake at night so I think she is doing well with the amounts we have now.

What cereal are you using? We LOVE the Milupa brand, it smells and tastes wonderful!

Sarah

[Lola]

Hi Sarah, I was in TO for 20 yrs, just moved north back to Orillia.
I know the books do say that, don't they. I tried it once only so far. Will try again next week though. She did enjoy it! Sounds like your LO is doing very well with what you are doing.
i love Milupa too but am finding it harder and harder to find. I bought a whole bunch of the rice bc it tastes like tapioca with no balls (i mean that literally)
It seems to have less sugar. I tried the Heinz oatmeal adn thought maybe I could put up some wallpaper next time with it. EWW Back to Milupa

[Sarahboh]

Funny, I stock up on Milupa too! Yes, the rice tastes like rice pudding, YUMMY! I use the milupa oatmeal too and though it doesn't taste as good as the rice, she likes it. How's Orillia? TO is HOT!!!
sarah

[Lola]

The oatmeal is good too-not like Heinz wallpaper paste She likes the Oatmeal with apple yumyum
Have you tried barley? The thought of it just seems EWW to me LOL
She likes wheat too..I would prefer to give her cream of wheat but I'm not sure i can. I was going to try Weetabix next week so mommy can share her cereal LOL
It's really hot here too. Just went to the MTO at lunch LOL. Of course, its nice. I'm at work LOL

[Sarahboh]

Haven't tried barley yet as I went straight from rice and oatmeal to veggies and fruits. I don't think I would want barley cereal myself, all I can think about is beef and barley soup when they say that so I don't think of it as a "cereal" per say. When did you try wheat? I want to try wheat but once again all these warnings about allergies, I am not allergic myself but everyone scares you, you know. I think cream of wheat is okay as it has lots of iron in it, just don't add the brown sugar and milk What else have you given her, I so want to start some new things? You are back at work, did you not take the year off? I am off till September, it is really nice being off when the weather is so good!

[Lola]

Yah, that's what i associate Barley with too. She loves everything else, so I am sure she would like it too. I gave her wheat cereal after oatmeal and rice. No reactions to anything so far. Sometimes poop is a bit messy (not bally LOL) but not a reaction and certainly not diarrhea. I started her with the usual sweet potatoes, carrots, beans, butternut squash-all cereals-bananas (which she isn't so fond of-fresh and jarred). I make her pears adn peaches and puree and put in the ice cube tray. I do that with most of her pureed stuff. She loves apples ( I make it-it tastes so much nicer and takes 2 sec's) and we just tried blueberries. If I'm eating dinner and have something i can give her; ie finger foods i will give her a taste. She is very  nosy like her momma I'm going to try chicken and pasta next. I was really hesitant at first but now it's fun 
The brown sugar and milk is for my cream of wheat LOL
I work for an OB/GYN (how convenient LOL) and he was desperate to have me back! I was really bored at home (I just don't make a good stay at home mom) so I told him I would come back if she came with me. We came back when she was 4 months old. I have a playpen, activity mat and saucer all behind my desk . She is asleep in her cot in the examination room right now LOL
Lucky you get to be off in nice weather...I had a fall baby . Got ripped off LOL

[Sarahboh]

What a great job to be able to bring her to the office with you!  When was she born? Ella was born Oct 10/06 on Thanksgiving.

[carmkaylasmom]

wow, that's amazing! what a great job...

[Lola]

I've been really blessed to be able to bring her with me. Thus, I have an extremely independent sociable baby. She was born Sept 3rd. Was supposed to be August
I figure that if I work for an Obstetrician and you don't like having a baby in the office-you should go home 

[Sarahboh]

That is fantastic! I work in a dental office, no chance bringing my baby there 

[Lola]

Gonna have the cleanest little mini teeth ever 
She loved the chicken btw. I should have given it to her for brekkie seeing as she went on a milupa strike this morning LOL

[Sarahboh]

That is great she loved the chicken!!! Yeah, I have started cleaning her little teeth and a few more are starting to make their way through. Have a great day! Sarah

[jennyb133]

Lola, I am in Ontario too North York to be exact, and I went to this course with a Infant Nutritionist and she was the one who showed us the studies and her own info not to give meat before 9 months as they cannot digest it? I know on the jars and in all the baby books it says you can start at 6 months (I have tried with Ella before I saw the nutritionist). She says they simply cannot break down such complicated proteins before 8-9 months so no use to give it to them. I am going to try again with her as I have also heard to introduce as much as you can before 7-8 months as after that they cannot become pickier to introduce new things.

Hi! My baby is 6 months & at his appt. I was told it is ok to introduce meats now, but do not give more than 1 jar per day.  So, you can introduce it now but don't give too much as it is hard to break down the protein.  I wouldn't give more than 4 oz. per day. Hope that helps